"Cadborosaurus willsi", nicknamed Caddy, is an alleged sea serpent reported to be
living on the Pacific Coast of North America. Its name is derived from
Cadboro Bay in Greater Victoria, British Columbia, and the Greek root word
"saurus" meaning lizard or reptile. Reports describe it as being similar in
form and behavior to various popularly named lake monsters such as "Ogopogo" of
Okanagan Lake in British Columbia and to the Loch Ness Monster of Scotland.
Description Cadborosaurus willsi is said by
witnesses to resemble a serpent with vertical coils or humps in tandem behind
the horse-like head and long neck, with a pair of small elevating front
flippers, and either a pair of hind flippers, or a pair of large webbed hind
flippers fused to form a large fan-like tail region that provides powerful
forward propulsion. Dr. LeBlond, director of Earth and Ocean
Sciences at UBC, and Dr. Blousfield, retired chief Zoologist of the Canadian
Museum of Nature, state every elongated animal has been put forward as an
explanation for Caddy. These animals include Conger eels, humpback whales,
elephant seals, ribbon or oar fish, basking sharks and sea lions. LeBlond
and Blousfield state no known creature matches the characteristics found in
over 200 sightings collected over a century, noting that Caddy is described
as having flippers both anterior and posterior.
Creatures identified as Cadborosaurus = Sea lion=
In 1943 two police officers, Inspector Robert Owens and Staff Sergeant Jack
Russell saw a "huge sea serpent with a horse like head" in Georgia Strait.
Later "with a pair of binoculars Sgt. Russell saw that the strange apparition
was a huge bull sea lion leading a herd of six sea lions…Their undulations as
they swam appeared to form a continuous body, with parts showing at intervals as
they surfaced and dived. To the naked eye, the sight perfectly impersonated a
sea monster." = Giant oarfish=
There have been suggestions that Caddy could be an example of the king of
herrings or giant oarfish. This species can reach 17 m in length and weigh up to
300 kg; some think the red mane on the head and back of the giant oarfish
resembles a horse head with mane. A modern illustration by David John,
"based on LeBlond/Bousfield composite and eyewitness accounts" shows Caddy
with a red mane. "They're long and silvery and they
undulate like a serpent would as they swim through the water," said H.J.
Walker, a senior museum scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography,
which has several oarfish in its collection.
= Basking shark= The carcass of a decomposing basking
shark is often mistaken for Caddy and has fooled experts and laymen. A rotting
basking shark may also resemble a decomposing plesiosaur.
= Pipefish= Darren Naish and colleagues have
proposed that the baby "Cadborosaurus" captured in 1968 by William Hagelund was
really a pipefish. First Nations accounts
A native image that fits Caddy's description has been traditionally used
throughout Alaska. The image indicates that Caddy or a Caddy-like creature
moves north to Vancouver when the water's warm. The Inuit of Alaska have
even put the picture on their canoes to keep the creature away. The
Cadborosaurus is called "hiyitl'iik" by the Manhousat people who live on Sydney
Inlet, "T'chain-ko" in Sechelt mythology, and "Numkse lee Kwala" by the
Comox band of Vancouver Island. Sightings
There have been more than 300 claimed sightings during the past 200 years,
including Deep Cove in Saanich Inlet, and Island View Beach, both like Cadboro
Bay also on the Saanich Peninsula, also British Columbia, and also at San
Francisco Bay, California. = Kelly Nash video=
In 2009, fisherman Kelly Nash purportedly filmed several minutes of
footage featuring ten to fifteen creatures in Nushagak Bay. In 2011, a
very short segment of the footage was shown on the Discovery TV show
Hilstranded, where the Hilstrand brothers apparently saw Nash's footage
and unsuccessfully attempted to find one of the creatures.
Carcasses associated with Cadborosaurus 1930: On 10 November at Glacier Island
near Valdez a skeleton was found in ice. The skeleton was 24 feet long with
flippers. Some of the remains were preserved in Cordova for scientific
study. The creature is thought to be a whale.
1934: In November on Henry Island near Prince Rupert, badly decomposed remains
about 30 feet long found. Dr. Neal Carter examined the remains. Creature
identified as basking shark. 1937: In October a purported
Cadborosaurus carcass was retrieved from the stomach of a sperm whale in Naden
Harbour and photographed. A sample of this carcass was sent to the BC
Provincial Museum, where it was tentatively identified as a fetal baleen
whale by museum director Francis Kermode.
1941: A carcass called "Sarah the sea hag" was found on Kitsilano Beach. W.A.
Clemens and I. McTaggert-Cowan identified it as a shark.
1947: In December at Vernon Bay, Barkley Sound, Vancouver Island a 45-foot
creature was found. It was identified as a shark.
1950: In Delake, Oregon a creature was found with 4 tails and thick hair. It
was identified as a whale shark. 1956: Somewhere near Dry Harbour south
of Yakutat, Alaska a 100 foot long carcass was found with two inch long
hair. Trevor Kincaid is quoted as saying "description fits no known creature."
W.A. Clemens identified the carcass as a Baird's beaked whale.
1962: In April near Ucluelet a 14 foot long carcass was found with elephant
like head. The carcass was dragged ashore by Simon Peter and later thought
to be an elephant seal. 1963: In September near Oak Harbor,
Whidbey Island a carcass was found with a head resembling a horse. A. D.
Welander of Fisheries thought it was a basking shark.
Purported live capture 1968: In August, W. Hagelund claims to
have caught a baby Caddy near De Courcy Island.
1991: In July, on Johns Island, Phyllis Harsh claims to have caught a small 2
foot baby Caddy and returned it to the water.
Media appearances Cadborosaurus has also been featured on
the television documentary series Northern Mysteries.
"Caddy" was a mysterious element featured in the ninth Nancy Drew
computer game produced by Her Interactive, Danger on Deception Island,
set on the west coast of the United States.
References Bauer, A. M. & Russell, A. P.. A living
plesiosaur?: a critical assessment of the description of Cadborosaurus willsi.
Cryptozoology 12, 1–18. Bousfield, E. L., & P. H. LeBlond. "An
account of Cadborosaurus willsi, new genus, new species, a large aquatic
reptile from the Pacific coast of North America". Amphipacifica Vol 1 Suppl. 1:
pp. 1–25, 19 figs. Coleman, Loren and Clark, Jerome.
Cryptozoology A to Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch,
Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature with Jerome Clark.
Jupp, Ursula.. Cadboro: A Ship, A Bay, A Sea-Monster. Jay Editions.
Wright, John D.. Cryptids and Other Creepy Creatures.
External links (French) Caddy le serpent de mer
canadien. sur Crypto-Investigations.com Cadborosaurus and the Naden Harbour
carcass: extant Mesozoic marine reptiles, or just bad science?
Cryptomundo: 15 Cadborosauruses? Maybe a few less.
The Cadboro Bay Sea Serpent The Cadborosaurus Watch
The Cryptid Zoo: Caddy MSNBC report on it, and 2009 video of
suspected creature. http:blogs.sos.wa.govindex.php09, 1892
sighting near Dungeness, Washington